Floob



H1. FRANZ.

Malt Drier.

Patented Sept. 25.1860.

N. PETERS. Fhulo-Lflhngrapher. Waihingtun, D. C.

UNITED s'rarns Parana. orrron HENRY FRANZ, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA.

freon Fen MALT-KILNS,

Specification of Letters Patent No. 30,137, dated September 25, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY F RANZ, of the city of Philadelphia, in theState of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Malt-Kiln-Floor.Plate; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description of the same, reference being had to the annexeddrawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is aplan view of the upper side; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section;and Fig. 3, a vertical transverse section, of the same; like characters,when on the different figures, indicating the same parts.

The nature of my invention consists in making the plates, for malt-kilnfloors, of wire rolled or otherwise compressed into rails whosetransverse sections are cuneate or thicker along their upper, than theyare along their under edges-and united t6- gether with their sidesparallel to each other-leaving spaces betweenso as to pro duce a gratedplate of the said material, substantially as hereinafter described,whereby I am enabled to produce a floorfor maltkilns, which will safelyadmit of the application of a much higher degree of heat for drying themalt, than heretofore, and consequently, to reduce the time, fuel, andlabor heretofore required in conducting theprocess, and also, to producea better malt.

In the drawings, a'a, are the wire-rails, and b b, the spaces betweenthem.

To form the rails I take iron wire which is about three sixteenths of aninch in diameter, more or less, and roll or otherwise compress or formit, so that its transverse section shall present substantially thecuneate or tapering form shown in either of the Figs. 3, a, 5, or6,though the slightly concave, or hollow-cut, form shown in Fig. 3, ispreferred. I then cut the wire into lengths of, say six feet,straighten, and finally punch a hole, 1, through near each end and onealso through the middle, of each rail, as indicated in Figs. 4, 5, and6. I now take a smaller sized wire, roll it into the same form and outoff from it the numerous short pieces or space-blocks, c 6, each aboutthree eighths of an inch long, and make a like hole through theircenters; then place thicker edges all on the same side, insertingbetween each pair, three of the spacingblocks (0) with their thinneredges next to the thicker edges of the rails (a), and their holes (1) injuxtaposition with the respective holes in the said rails, at the sametime inserting, through each series of these holes, a rod or bar, (Z,until I have rails enough, so applied and connected, to form a gratedplate of three feet in width, more or less, and then, finally, rivet theends of the said bolts so as to bind the whole together firmly,substantially as is represented in Figs. 1 and 2, the spaces (bZ beingabout a sixteenth of an inch in width, and the upper edges of the spaceblocks about a sixteenth of an inch below the upper edges of the rails(a), for the purpose of preventing the grains of malt from coming incontact with the said blocks (0). To form a continuous floor of theseplates, it is only necessary that they be laid together horizontally inthe same plane and so that they may be supported, upon the usual ironbars or joists, at the parts where the space blocks (0) are inserted,and with the side having the thicker edges of the rails, upward.

It will be evident that, from the cuneate form and the relativepositions of the bars (Ck-(Z), and the horizontal position of bars (aa),and the horizontal positions of the plates in the kiln, the hotascending air will pass intimately between all the grains of malt whichmay be lying on the plates, and consequently that heat of a higherdegree than heretofore may be applied withoutany danger of charring themalt. A heat of about 40 Raumur, with the usual, perforated, sheet-ironfloor, will burn, or char the malt; whereas, with my said wire-railplates, the heat may be raised to 60 or 70 Raumur, without any danger ofcharring, and consequently the time and fuel, heretofore required fordrying, will be proportionately reduced, to say nothing of the reductionof the labor heretofore required in turning the malt. It generally takesabout three days and three nights to dry the malt, properly, on thesheet-iron floors; but, with the improved plates herein described, themalt can be dried in six hours, and a better article the rails (aa) sideby side, with their 1' produced thereby. The strength of these plates,and their durability in use, are also The Wire-rail plate hereindescribed; the greater than those of sheet iron, or of Woven same beingconstructed substantially as de- Wire. scribed, and for the purposespecified.

Having thus fully described my improved HENRY FRANZ. 5 plate, andpointed out its superior utility, Witnesses:

What I claim as new of my invention and BENJ. MORISON, desire to secureby Letters Patent is J. FQPFER.

